PRESS RELEASE: AEG, presenter of the Amgen Tour of California, is partnering with Pacific Sports, a leading sports and event management company, to produce the L’Etape du California, a race that will give amateur cyclists the opportunity to test their mettle by riding Stage 7 of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California.

Taking place on Saturday, May 7, 2011, the L’Etape du California is being held in conjunction with the 2011 Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race set for May 15-22, 2011. Specific details of Stage 7 will be announced, along with details of the entire race route, in January.

Riders participating in L’Etape du California will cover the same route as the professionals on Stage 7 of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, arguably one of the most challenging stages in the race, which goes from Claremont to Mt. Baldy. The route, breathtaking in its beauty and difficulty, will cover some of the most famous and iconic sections of road in the San Gabriel mountains: Glendora Mountain Road, Glendora Ridge Road, and of course the sharp switchbacks up to the Mt. Baldy Ski Area. By the end of the ride, participants will have climbed close to 10,000 vertical feet and ridden nearly 100 miles.

“As interest in professional cycling continues to gain momentum in the U.S., we have seen an increasing number of people who want to ride parts of the Amgen Tour of California route,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports. “We are thrilled to bring this amazing experience to the masses through the L’Etape du California. It will be an extremely challenging event for the amateur cyclists, requiring a high level of fitness and mental endurance.”

“We are very excited to bring the L’Etape du California concept to the United States with our partners at AEG,” said Jack Caress, president and CEO of Pacific Sports, producer of L’Etape du California. “The Tour du France created the mold for allowing cyclists to ride on the same stage as the top tour professionals on the mountains of France. We are now doing the same with a stage of the Amgen Tour of California. With our epic finish on Mt. Baldy, this will be the type of experience and challenge that any rider will be proud to finish.”

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